Magnetism booster assembly
A magnetism booster assembly including a sleeve having a first face, a second face, and an outer periphery surface extending between the first face and the second face. The sleeve defines a central bore extending from the first face to the second face. The sleeve also defines a pocket spaced apart from the central bore and having an opening in the first face. The magnetism booster assembly also includes a magnet positioned within the pocket.
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This application claims priority to U.S. Provisional Patent Application No. 62/701,204, filed Jul. 20, 2018, the entire contents of which are incorporated herein by reference.
BACKGROUNDThe present invention relates to a magnetism booster assembly.
Power tools and hand tools alike are used to rotate and fasten screws and other fasteners. A driver bit used to fasten fasteners typically includes a shaft with a tip that contacts a head of the fastener. In some constructions, the tip may be magnetic to help maintain engagement with the head. Likewise, some screwdrivers may include tips that are magnetic to help maintain engagement with fasteners. However, magnetic tips are often not strong enough to fully retain the fastener.
SUMMARYIn one embodiment, the invention provides a magnetism booster assembly including a sleeve having a first face, a second face, and an outer periphery surface extending between the first face and the second face. The sleeve defines a central bore extending from the first face to the second face. The sleeve also defines a pocket spaced apart from the central bore and having an opening in the first face. The magnetism booster assembly also includes a magnet positioned within the pocket.
In another embodiment, the invention provides a magnetism booster assembly including a sleeve with a first face, a second face, and an outer periphery surface that extends between the first and second faces. The sleeve defines a central bore that extends from the first face to the second face. The central bore defines a center axis and includes an inside surface. The sleeve further includes a rib that extends from the inside surface towards the center axis. The rib is configured to engage a shaft of a tool. The magnetism booster assembly also includes a magnet supported by the sleeve.
In another embodiment, the invention provides a magnetism booster assembly including a flexible sleeve with a first face, a second face, and an outer periphery surface extending between the first face and the second face. The flexible sleeve defines a central bore extending between the first face and the second face. The magnetism booster assembly also includes a first magnet supported by the flexible sleeve and spaced apart from the central bore and a second magnet supported by the flexible sleeve and spaced apart from the central bore. The second magnet is positioned on a diametrically opposite side of the central bore from the first magnet.
Other aspects of the invention will become apparent by consideration of the detailed description and accompanying drawings.
Before any embodiments of the invention are explained in detail, it is to be understood that the invention is not limited in its application to the details of construction and the arrangement of components set forth in the following description or illustrated in the following drawings. The invention is capable of other embodiments and of being practiced or of being carried out in various ways.
With reference to
Now referencing
The sleeve 14 defines a centrally located bore 46 that extends from the front face 26 to the rear face 30. The bore 46 defines a center axis 50 of the sleeve 14 that extends from the front face 26 to the rear face 30. The bore 46 is configured to receive a shaft of a tool. The sleeve 14 also defines a pair of pockets (e.g., a first or upper pocket 54 and a second or lower pocket 58). The pockets 54, 58 are spaced apart from the bore 46 on diametrically opposite sides of the center axis 50. The pockets 54, 58 retain the first and second magnets 18, 22, respectively. The illustrated pockets 54, 58 have a generally rectangular cross-section. In the illustrated embodiment, the sleeve 14 includes two pockets 54, 58 that retain two magnets 18, 22 (one magnet in each pocket). In other embodiments, the sleeve 14 may include more than or less than two pockets to retain more than or less than two magnets. The first and second pockets 54, 58 both include an opening 62 on the front face 26 that allows access to the interior of the pockets 54, 58.
With reference to
With continued reference to
In the illustrated embodiment, the sleeve 14 is made of a silicone material. For example, the sleeve 14 may be made of a silicon material having a hardness on the Shore A scale between durometer 50 and 60. The silicone is flexible and durable and allows the inside surfaces of the pockets 54, 58 to conform to the shapes of the magnets 18, 22 to help retain the magnets 18, 22 inside the pockets 54, 58. For example, the silicone allows the openings 62 to deflect and expand to receive the magnets 18, 22. Similarly, the silicone allows the central bore 46 and the ribs 82, 86 to conform to different sized and shaped tool shafts to retain the sleeve 14 on the tool. In other embodiments, sleeve 14 may be made of a material having hardness greater than or less than durometer 50-60. In further embodiments, the sleeve 14 may be made from a different material (e.g., rubber, elastomeric material, plastic, etc.).
With reference to
Providing a magnetism booster assembly 10 on a tool advantageously boosts the magnetic coupling between the tip of the tool and a fastener. With the magnetism booster assembly 10, fasteners are less likely to be uncoupled or misaligned from the tip of a shaft while being driven into a workpiece or while being transported to the workpiece. For example, a user can place the fastener on the shaft and lift towards the ceiling or wall without worrying about the fastener falling to the ground. In addition, the magnetism booster assembly 10 allows for fasteners to be pulled out of bores of a workpiece easier.
Various features and advantages of the invention are set forth in the following claims.
Claims
1. A magnetism booster assembly comprising:
- a sleeve having a first face, a second face, and an outer periphery surface extending between the first face and the second face, the sleeve defines a central bore extending from the first face to the second face, the sleeve also defines a pocket spaced apart from the central bore and having an opening in the first face; and
- a magnet positioned within the pocket;
- wherein the pocket is partially defined by a back surface of the sleeve that acts as a stop for the magnet, and wherein the sleeve further defines an aperture in communication with the pocket and adjacent the back surface.
2. The magnetism booster assembly of claim 1, wherein the sleeve is made of a flexible silicone material.
3. The magnetism booster assembly of claim 1, wherein the sleeve includes a rib extending into the central bore, and wherein the rib is configured to engage a shaft of a tool.
4. The magnetism booster assembly of claim 1, wherein the pocket is a first pocket and the magnet is a first magnet, wherein the sleeve further defines a second pocket spaced apart from the central bore and the first pocket, wherein the second pocket has an opening in the first face, and further comprising a second magnet positioned within the second pocket.
5. The magnetism booster assembly of claim 4, wherein the first pocket and the second pocket are positioned on diametrically opposite sides of the central bore.
6. The magnetism booster assembly of claim 1, wherein the sleeve has a length defined between the first and second faces between 16 mm and 28 mm.
7. The magnetism booster assembly of claim 1, wherein the sleeve is generally circular.
8. The magnetism booster assembly of claim 1, wherein the pocket has a generally rectangular cross-section.
9. The magnetism booster assembly of claim 1, wherein the opening defines a lip that helps retain the magnet within the pocket.
10. The magnetism booster assembly of claim 1, wherein the central bore defines a center axis, and wherein the magnet is inserted into the pocket of the sleeve in a direction parallel to the center axis.
11. The magnetism booster assembly of claim 1, wherein the aperture extends through the second face into the pocket.
12. A magnetism booster assembly comprising:
- a sleeve including a first face, a second face, and an outer periphery surface extending between the first and second faces, the sleeve defines a central bore extending from the first face to the second face, the central bore defines a center axis and includes an inside surface, the sleeve further includes a rib extending from the inside surface towards the center axis, the rib is configured to engage a shaft of a tool; and
- a magnet supported by the sleeve;
- wherein the rib extends circumferentially around the inside surface of the central bore.
13. The magnetism booster assembly of claim 12, wherein the rib is a first rib positioned adjacent the first face of the sleeve, and wherein the sleeve further includes a second rib extending from the inside surface towards the center axis, the second rib is positioned adjacent the second face of the sleeve.
14. The magnetism booster assembly of claim 12, wherein the rib extends from the inside surface towards the center axis within a range between approximately 1 mm and 3 mm.
15. The magnetism booster assembly of claim 14, wherein the rib has a width that is approximately 1 mm.
16. The magnetism booster assembly of claim 12, wherein the rib is flexible to accommodate a variety of tool shaft sizes and shapes.
17. A magnetism booster assembly comprising:
- a flexible sleeve including a first face, a second face, and an outer periphery surface extending between the first face and the second face, the flexible sleeve defines a central bore extending between the first face and the second face;
- a first magnet supported by the flexible sleeve and spaced apart from the central bore; and
- a second magnet supported by the flexible sleeve and spaced apart from the central bore, the second magnet is positioned on a diametrically opposite side of the central bore as the first magnet;
- wherein each magnet is received in a corresponding pocket of the flexible sleeve, wherein each pocket has an opening through which the corresponding magnet is received and allowing access to an interior of the pocket, and wherein each opening has a width that is less than a width of the interior of the corresponding pocket.
18. The magnetism booster assembly of claim 17, wherein the flexible sleeve is made of a silicone material.
19. The magnetism booster assembly of claim 18, wherein the silicone material has a hardness on the Shore A scale between durometer 50 and 60.
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- European Patent Office Extended Search Report for Application No. 19192364.8 dated Jan. 30, 2020 (7 pages).
Type: Grant
Filed: Jul 18, 2019
Date of Patent: May 24, 2022
Patent Publication Number: 20200027635
Assignee: MILWAUKEE ELECTRIC TOOL CORPORATION (Brookfield, WI)
Inventors: Michael J. Zimmermann (New Berlin, WI), Marcus Wechselberger (Powell, OH)
Primary Examiner: Ramon M Barrera
Application Number: 16/515,803
International Classification: H01F 13/00 (20060101); H01F 7/02 (20060101); H05K 5/02 (20060101);